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UK Gov set to ease measures


molecrochip
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1 hour ago, Denarius said:

Bad news from the USA. With just days to go before the CDC's "No Sail" order was about to expire, the agency has issued a warning advising U.S. travelers to defer all cruise travel. Only applies to travel from US ports so does not directly affect P&O, but could have a persuasive effect on our own FCO. ☹️

Cruising from US ports is very different to cruising from Southampton.  All Caribbean and Nth American itineraries from the UK are now cancelled until autumn 21, and cruises into Europe have no correlation with any cruises from US ports. So I can see absolutely no reason  for the FCO to take any notice of CDC rulings on no sail orders in the US.

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6 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I enjoy sea days, and my.travel insurance covers Covid. The mask wearing has become less of an issue, as I’m now used to it. The fact that a table for two will be easy to get is a plus.

 

in theory, it would seem that I’m all set to cruise.

 

But in reality, I still have no desire to cruise. It’s no longer going to be the carefree holiday that I knew and loved. It will be a much more regimented experience and I don’t want to spend £1000s on this lesser experience. I’m not  interested in doing any activity which would require an invasive test before hand, not to mention the possibility of more testing throughout the cruise. That is simply not a holiday.

 

Then there’s the situation regarding going ashore. I have nothing against excursions, and normally book a few each cruise. However, many ports are easy to DIY, and I would find it very frustrating to have to book an excursion to do a walking tour of a port, in the knowledge that I could otherwise have just wandered off the ship.

 

Although I have loved cruising and I miss it a lot, I will stick to holidays in the U.K. for the foreseeable future,  until there have been a lot of changes to our current predicament.

 

 

Pauline and I are very similar in that we always get a table for 2 and we will do a ships excursion but also love to explore every port independently too.

We think to pay thousands of pounds for the proposed ship protocols will not be conductive to a relaxing cruise we are used to so are content to watch how things develop first.

Graham.

 

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2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Cruising from US ports is very different to cruising from Southampton.  All Caribbean and Nth American itineraries from the UK are now cancelled until autumn 21, and cruises into Europe have no correlation with any cruises from US ports. So I can see absolutely no reason  for the FCO to take any notice of CDC rulings on no sail orders in the US.

Cunard are still selling Transatlantic cruises from Southampton to New York for the duration of summer 2021 so cruise are definitely not cancelled to North America from the UK.

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6 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Cunard are still selling Transatlantic cruises from Southampton to New York for the duration of summer 2021 so cruise are definitely not cancelled to North America from the UK.

I was really only considering P&O, because IMHO Cunard is really a US cruise line. It may be based and managed in the UK but, certainly its transatlantic cruises are primarily marketed toward US passengers. 

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14 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I was really only considering P&O, because IMHO Cunard is really a US cruise line. It may be based and managed in the UK but, certainly its transatlantic cruises are primarily marketed toward US passengers. 

Sorry  but you are incorrect. TAs are very popular with Brits and majority of senior staff are British and Cunard is no more American, except for currency  being in US Dollars, than P&O is. You stated all Caribbean and American cruises from UK were cancelled until Autumn 2021 which is also incorrect as P&O only in normal times only go to USA/Canada twice a year and these are still currently on sale for September 2021.

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16 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Cunard are still selling Transatlantic cruises from Southampton to New York for the duration of summer 2021 so cruise are definitely not cancelled to North America from the UK.

Is this a cruise, or is it a transantlantic passenger service? I suspect that it is technically the latter, and as such may not be covered.

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1 hour ago, Denarius said:

Is this a cruise, or is it a transantlantic passenger service? I suspect that it is technically the latter, and as such may not be covered.

Really are splitting hairs. Many go on as part of a holiday and then spend time in New York. We do a roundtrip TA from Southampton and spend a day in New York. Too many on here think and comment as if they are experts when they havent got a clue or have no experience of what they are talking about. I can assure you the food, entertainment and experience on a TA on QM2 far outweighs any cruise on P&O. It still has to cover all rules as covered by all cruise lines and like every other cruise ship for has been parked up in many parts of the world, the QM2 in Torbay for the last 6 months due to the pandemic.

Edited by majortom10
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55 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Really are splitting hairs. Many go on as part of a holiday and then spend time in New York. We do a roundtrip TA from Southampton and spend a day in New York. Too many on here think and comment as if they are experts when they havent got a clue or have no experience of what they are talking about. I can assure you the food, entertainment and experience on a TA on QM2 far outweighs any cruise on P&O. It still has to cover all rules as covered by all cruise lines and like every other cruise ship for has been parked up in many parts of the world, the QM2 in Torbay for the last 6 months due to the pandemic.

Keep your hair on. 🙂 I feel that you are missing the point of my post, which is ......

Before the days of widely available transatlantic air travel the only way for most people to get from the UK to the USA was by ocean liner, and several lines offered a scheduled service from Southampton and Liverpool. In recent years the only line offering such a service has been Cunard, and the Queen Mary 2 (like her predecessor the QE2) was specially designed for it (dog kennels et al) and is designated a Royal Mail Ship. Whilst many people taking a transatlantic crossing on her regard it as a cruise, its primary purpose is transportation. And as such it may be subject to different US regulations than cruises pure and simple.

I do not regard that as splitting hairs.

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Just now, Denarius said:

Keep your hair on. 🙂 I feel that you are missing the point of my post, which is ......

Before the days of widely available transatlantic air travel the only way for most people to get from the UK to the USA was by ocean liner, and several lines offered a scheduled service from Southampton and Liverpool. In recent years the only line offering such a service has been Cunard, and the Queen Mary 2 (like her predecessor the QE2) was specially designed for it (dog kennels et al) and is designated a Royal Mail Ship. Whilst many people taking a transatlantic crossing on her regard it as a cruise, its primary purpose is transportation. And as such it may be subject to different US regulations than cruises pure and simple.

I do not regard that as splitting hairs.

It is not subject to any differences with regards to the pandemic and has like all other ships ceased cruising since March and will only restart when it is safe and covers all rules like any cruise ship. Looking in the past you are correct but the world has changed dramatically since and the majority of people now cross the Atlantic by air in a matter of hours. Majority that do TAs whether from the UK or US do so as a holiday or part of their holiday like any cruise. With regards to QM2 being a Royal Mail Ship that was a gesture by Royal Mail to Cunard's history and no longer serves a purpose as a Royal Mail ship with regards to delivering mail. Sorry but its primary purpose is not transportation but used by the majority of any TA crossing as part of their holiday and are from all over the world. Having done many TAs on both QM2 and QE2 for the last 23yrs would be interested to know how many you have done or is your knowledge with no direct experience but by just reading Wikipedia.

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1 hour ago, majortom10 said:

It is not subject to any differences with regards to the pandemic and has like all other ships ceased cruising since March and will only restart when it is safe and covers all rules like any cruise ship. Looking in the past you are correct but the world has changed dramatically since and the majority of people now cross the Atlantic by air in a matter of hours. Majority that do TAs whether from the UK or US do so as a holiday or part of their holiday like any cruise. With regards to QM2 being a Royal Mail Ship that was a gesture by Royal Mail to Cunard's history and no longer serves a purpose as a Royal Mail ship with regards to delivering mail. Sorry but its primary purpose is not transportation but used by the majority of any TA crossing as part of their holiday and are from all over the world. Having done many TAs on both QM2 and QE2 for the last 23yrs would be interested to know how many you have done or is your knowledge with no direct experience but by just reading Wikipedia.

Blimey Tom, I'm the one who normally does the ranting !

I see a TA as a way to get from Europe to the US (or vice versa) with no stops,  whereas a cruise is a way to see various ports, rather than a means to get from A to B.

No need to get worked up and tell us poor commoners how many TAs you have done. The DYKWIA  attitude is beneath you.

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Major Tom, please accept my apologies  I did not intend to upset you with my original post, but this is the P&O forum and I was really trying to indicate that they are subject to UK rules and guidance when it comes to cruise restarts, and not the CDC. I do agree that Cunard will need to consider CDC rules, as well as FCO guidance, because they have more sailings to the US  and a far far higher percentage of US passengers than does P&O. 

My main point was to indicate that P&O are, according to Moley, discussing a restart timetable with govt officials and this will include discussions on when the FCO non cruising guidance can be lifted.

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3 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Blimey Tom, I'm the one who normally does the ranting !

I see a TA as a way to get from Europe to the US (or vice versa) with no stops,  whereas a cruise is a way to see various ports, rather than a means to get from A to B.

No need to get worked up and tell us poor commoners how many TAs you have done. The DYKWIA  attitude is beneath you.

My intentions were that I am experienced of TAs and know what they involve and who cruise on them and not those that have never set foot on QM2 but are suddenly like many are on here think they are experts having never been on one before. Is your assumption that a TA is a way to get from Europe to the US (or vice versa) due to experience or just an assumption with no knowledge of what a TA on QM2 is like or who travels on them or the reason why.

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16 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

My intentions were that I am experienced of TAs and know what they involve and who cruise on them and not those that have never set foot on QM2 but are suddenly like many are on here think they are experts having never been on one before. Is your assumption that a TA is a way to get from Europe to the US (or vice versa) due to experience or just an assumption with no knowledge of what a TA on QM2 is like or who travels on them or the reason why.

You are still missing the point. Which is not who sails on them mainly nowadays (I am sure that you are right) but how they are regarded by the authorities; as a cruise or as transatlantic transportation.

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2 minutes ago, Denarius said:

You are still missing the point. Which is not who sails on them mainly nowadays (I am sure that you are right) but how they are regarded by the authorities; as a cruise or as transatlantic transportation.

Not missing the point and where do you get the information that authorities regard them as transatlantic transportation Cunard do not treat them any different than there other cruise ships. But you still miss my point is how and where you get this information and how many cruises or TAs you have done with Cunard to give you this opinion. I guess probably none. 

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2 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Not missing the point and where do you get the information that authorities regard them as transatlantic transportation Cunard do not treat them any different than there other cruise ships. But you still miss my point is how and where you get this information and how many cruises or TAs you have done with Cunard to give you this opinion. I guess probably none. 

Whether I have sailed with Cunard (for the record, I have) or how many times is totally irrelevant to the question I posed (note, posed not answered). Which was, do the authorities class the Queen Mary 2's scheduled Atlantic crossings as cruises or as transatlantic transportation?

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3 minutes ago, Denarius said:

Whether I have sailed with Cunard (for the record, I have) or how many times is totally irrelevant to the question I posed (note, posed not answered). Which was, do the authorities class the Queen Mary 2's scheduled Atlantic crossings as cruises or as transatlantic transportation?

and like I have said they dont why should they and where have you got the idea that they do. Some TAs now dont start in Southampton but start in Germany and some also call at other ports after leaving Southampton and before they arrive in New York. They are not treated as a scheduled UK-US (and vice versa) service and they dont do just that all year long but do other cruises to Norway and other countries.

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27 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

and like I have said they dont why should they and where have you got the idea that they do. Some TAs now dont start in Southampton but start in Germany and some also call at other ports after leaving Southampton and before they arrive in New York. They are not treated as a scheduled UK-US (and vice versa) service and they dont do just that all year long but do other cruises to Norway and other countries.

Tom, I still insist that this discussion started out about which authority would have most impact on how any UK based cruising could be restarted.    My point has always been that the UK govt and FCO guidance will be the major if not the only authority involved in any P&O restart plus the EU for ports of call, and the US authorities would only be peripheral and then only for the autumn and winter TAs which call at US ports.

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I booked my September 2021 cruise just before Covid happened, I’ve booked a select fare. Am I right in thinking if I move it before final payment date I can do that without being charged for doing so? I’m thinking if they go back  to the ‘old’ rules?

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1 hour ago, P&O SUE said:

I booked my September 2021 cruise just before Covid happened, I’ve booked a select fare. Am I right in thinking if I move it before final payment date I can do that without being charged for doing so? I’m thinking if they go back  to the ‘old’ rules?

Hi Sue,

 

At the moment the answer is yes. 

 

However, there have been various notes by P&O on social media stating that the policy may change at any time to standard terms, which involves an administrative fee (£100 and the new cruise must be more expensive).  P&O haven't said definitively if and when they are going to change the policy. 

 

That said, the current belief of at least some of the contributors on here is that the policy will either change:

 

1) When the new brochure is launched - to prevent passengers from dodging their current brochure bookings - some of which are at a hefty price.

 

2) When cruises actually restart - to dissuade passengers from cancelling because they don't like the new restrictions.

 

If either of the two above happen then you would be penalised, sorry.  I have exactly the same problem for cruises next year, booked back when the old brochure launched 😡 

 

There are various discussions about passengers contacting banks if P&O do this.  My next problem is that theoretically am due to sail on Aurora in March, and it's not (yet) been cancelled.

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5 hours ago, No pager thank you said:

Hi Sue,

 

At the moment the answer is yes. 

 

However, there have been various notes by P&O on social media stating that the policy may change at any time to standard terms, which involves an administrative fee (£100 and the new cruise must be more expensive).  P&O haven't said definitively if and when they are going to change the policy. 

 

That said, the current belief of at least some of the contributors on here is that the policy will either change:

 

1) When the new brochure is launched - to prevent passengers from dodging their current brochure bookings - some of which are at a hefty price.

 

2) When cruises actually restart - to dissuade passengers from cancelling because they don't like the new restrictions.

 

If either of the two above happen then you would be penalised, sorry.  I have exactly the same problem for cruises next year, booked back when the old brochure launched 😡 

 

There are various discussions about passengers contacting banks if P&O do this.  My next problem is that theoretically am due to sail on Aurora in March, and it's not (yet) been cancelled.


Hmm the more expensive could be a problem as it’s due to be the most expensive cruise we’ve had! Decisions, decisions!

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Surely if you booked a Select Fare where the T&Cs stated that you were allowed to change the booking for a similar cruise of more value then you would expect P&O to adhere to these rules. It would be totally wrong to change the booking conditions for existing customers.

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We have a cruise booked on Britannia in May 2021 which we booked as a Select Fare when brochure was first released in Sept/Oct 2019 and we are hoping to transfer this booking without charges to a cruise in Summer 2022 when the programme goes on sale in November.

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On 10/27/2020 at 1:54 PM, Denarius said:

Is this a cruise, or is it a transantlantic passenger service? I suspect that it is technically the latter, and as such may not be covered.

Ferries are still sailing😁. I guess you are saying they are just transatlantic ferries, so they aren't covered either.

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Some people cruise for the ship.

 

Some people cruise for the destinations

 

Some for both.

 

Cruise lines advertise cruises as both, a way to see the world with no unpacking,  and a great destination in itself.

 

If there are significant barriers or costs in disembarking that weren't there when you booked, a cruise line must offer a refund in  full .  Some will take it some will be happy to  cruise what ever the restrictions. 

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